Identity Theft - who are you?

We all have at least two selves. There is the one we present to the world and then there is our true essence. Unfortunately we often do not know the difference and the price we pay is very high. Nietzsche talked about people who have “hollow chests.” In his mind these were people who lacked virtue and a true sense of identity. They live life on the surface and are shallow or “hollow.” They do not know great sorrow or great joy or originality. I agree with Nietzsche’s assessment, but not with his conclusion that we can fill our chests full of authentic, virtuous character without trusting in God.

Jesus said, “He who has found his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it” (Luke 9:24). Jesus believed he was the key to knowing who we really are and the meaning of our lives. He believed he was the author of life and the one who can tell us what our role in the grand story happens to be. He tells us it requires total surrender of our attempts to find ourselves a part from him. He throws down the gauntlet in Luke 9:24, challenging us to decide if we will walk it or not. Big gate or small?

This will be my topic this week at Restoration Community Church as we begin our series, "Identity Theft." I would love to hear opinions on this topic before Saturday. What do you believe about how a person finds their true identity? What do you think about Jesus claim in Luke 9:24?

Denver Church

Cosmic Christmas

Have you ever had one of those Christmas seasons that leave you feeling further away from God rather than closer? I have, but not this year. This year I feel really connected to God and to Jesus. Part of what has helped is my study of the Christmas story from the cosmic vantage point of Revelation Chapter 12. If you have a moment read the first few verses. I have been meditating on three “lost” symbols in verses 1-5.

One of the lost symbols is the woman (likely Mary) who gives birth to Jesus. The woman represents all of us who seek to birth to anything redemptive in this world. The second symbol is the dragon who represents evil. The dragon sweeps stars out of the ski and seeks to devour the baby. Any time we seek to birth something good in this world or live in the light we will find a dragon seeking to devour our “baby” or snuff out the light in our souls. The third lost symbol is Jesus. We have heard the Christmas story so many times that we have lost Jesus in it. We have lost the awe that comes when we really “get” what God did for us in that Christmas baby. Jesus came to show us God, to destroy the virus of corruption that has spread throughout our world and to show us how much God loves us. We know how much someone loves a person or idea by how much they are willing to sacrifice for it and in Jesus we see God make the ultimate sacrifice for us. He was born to die.

The cosmic Christmas story is not the pastoral, pastel, precious moment story most of us know. It is more like an action/adventure/drama/horror film. But it feels truer to the way my life has been this year and therefore it has really connected me to God.

Read it and let me know what you think.

Jesus Is Still Homeless

Saturday we handed out 600 burritos. We gave away 500 burritos in the morning and another 100 at night. It was our first service project as a church and from my standpoint it was a huge success. Below are a few reflections from our time on the streets of Denver.

• It feels good to do something that is a bit risky. Faith is a risk and it is always good to put our selves in situations that are outside of our comfort zone where we need God.
• Conversations matter as much as food. Most of the homeless people we gave burritos to valued the conversation more than the food.
• Kids really want to serve. I told a friend who handed out 200 burritos with nine students on Saturday night that this is the kind of youth group kids today want. They are hungry for something that is real and makes a difference. It is a welcome reprieve from the virtual world where they spend so much time.
• Homeless people need a church too. I did a wedding over lunch for a homeless couple we met Saturday. One group of Restoration friends had a conversation with some homeless guys who hear a message from the Bible. So, we are going to have church on the streets the morning of December 19th. I never dreamed we would be going to multiple services by the time we did our second gathering!
• Jesus is on the streets. We encountered a lot of love on the streets. I know we saw Jesus is some of these very good folks and hopefully they did too (Matthew 25).
• It is fun to be on a wild goose chase. The Celts talked about the Holy Spirit being like a wild goose. We are chasing the Goose as we start Restoration right now and it is really fun. I hope we never stop chasing the Wild Goose wherever he leads us (John 3:8).

This is the first of many service opportunities we will create in the future, so if you missed this one, just wait until early next year. Our next one will be on January 9th. I hope to see many of you there.